Tito And The Yugoslavian Experiment

Tito was perhaps the most benevelent dictator, I’ve heard of so far.   The people seem to really love him.    He was a womanizer and ruled with an iron hand,

Joseph Broz "Tito" Tito was the nickname of Joseph Broz. It is a derivative of the Roman -Latin, Titus

but it seems he had the people’s interest in mind more than his colleagues in neigboring countries.  (Like Romania, who overthrew their dictator in 1989 and executed him a week later.   You can see the trial and execution of Nicolai and Elena Coscesciu on You Tube.)

Tito, on the other hand, lived out his days in luxury and is loved by his people.  Curious.   He was a consumate politician,  standing up against USSR and weaving amongst western heads of state, always with the Slavic cause in mind.

We learned that he absorbed over 100 Billion in aid from the US over the years.   The reason for such a high investment was to provide a buffer between USSR and Western Europe.   Our guide told a story of Tito riding with a driver who came to an intersection and asked if he should turn right or left.   To which Tito responded,  Signal left and turn right.   Chuckles.    But maybe the story is instructive about how Tito and Yugoslavia thrived in the Cold War World.

One of his hallmarks was his baton carrying youth brigade.   Like Olympic torch carriers, the youth would carry lighted torches from town to town … carrying the message of Yugoslav National Identity.

Batons were carried all across Yugoslavia proclaiming unity. It was a masterful rallying campaign and kept disparate parties together throughout Tito's lifetime.

This was to rebuild the identity that had been pieced and parcelled by the Turks and the Hapsburgs over previous centuries.    His funeral was the 3rd largest funeral of a national leader of the entire century.

His efforts to hold together the state of Yugoslavia ultimately failed and the tension of the different people groups became the recent war in Kosovo.   Our guides didn’t really acknowledge a cause or a perpetrator.

The King and Queen have just come back from many years of exile and re-claimed their palace. They are figurehead and diplomatic rulers only, hosting parties and administrating charities, etc. Luelle got their autographs!

Several have been tried and sentenced for war crimes for their parts.  You can google it for various explanations.

Croatian Countryside & Belgrade, The Capital

This particular side trip was led by a young man, Marco.   He showed us a lot of war damage from the 1991 war.  About 90% of it is restored now.

All the tours feature local guides. Here Marco is showing the historical events that happened in this Square.

Many western and other nations sent aid money and most of the country looks new … with some old buildings that were not bombed, along with the rest of the ones that are waiting to be re-built.

Machine Gun and Mortar Fire remnants on this building ... 20 years later. It's still waiting for renovation ... or maybe it's being kept this way as a reminder - not to do that again. Not a bad idea!

Some wont ever be re-built as the small towns are mostly being “de-populated” … As the younger people are moving into the big cities.   It is the same thing that happens in Middle American small towns that were centered around the family farm.   We stopped at a large home that had a special room and they served local snacks along with the specialty of the area, a plum brandy, that was about 100 proof.

Our host posing with a Buso mask.

They said it could be used as an antibiotic … and the ship’s doctor who was with us smiled and confirmed that if you had bad bugs, that it would kill them!   That’s also where we learned of the legend of the Buso masks, the Buso marches and parades that continue to this day.    Every year the Buso parade is the single biggest tourist and civic event of the year.   People dress up in masks, commemorating, as legend has it, the time when 600 young displaced Hungarians dressed up in scary masks and chased the Turks out of their country after 160 years.   The actual history is a little different, requiring the army of Russia and the Hapsburgs to accomplish that task … but the legend makes for a better festival  and the locality has made it the centerpiece of their tourism.

Reminds me of my girls back home.

It turns out that the home had just been finished two weeks before by Marco and his parents, who had purpose built it to entertain tour bus loads of tourists.   Kind of like a Bed and Breakfast.   We were then treated to a country lunch prepared by another local family … who were also a certified B&B.   The lunch was good.   The farmer and his wife spoke no English and we spoke no Hungarian.   But with a little interpretation and good food, plenty of communication was able to happen.    They had a little farm with some chickens, goats and a few pigs as well as about an acre of garden.

The War Memorial alongside the Danube River, Commemorating all the lives lost in the recent war.

Marco showed us a shoe factory where his grandfather had worked during the Communist time.   Marco remembers his grandfather saying about work in that place, “ We pretended to work … And they pretended to pay us.”     When asked, he said that the preference for Communism and the present system is split.  Especially some of the older people preferred Communism.

Current Borders in Eastern Europe

Currently there is about 30% unemployment.   In communism, there was no unemployment.   Whereas that 30%  who are now unemployed … In communism they would all be “employed” – with the famous ineficiency.   On that tour we also saw some early “indoor plumbing”   It was a hole in the floor of a second or third floor overhanging room.   It was more for safety and not having to go outside than the sanitation aspect.   But for 300 years ago, I suppose it was ahead of its time.     Belgrade This is a beautiful town at the confluence of two rivers,  The Danube and Sava rivers join here.    Unfortunately that made this a prize city for the warring leaders throughout the last several milenia.   Belgrade is in the middle, between the East and the West, so from time to time lot’s of generals thought that their country should control it.    The city was the site of 600 major battles and was overthrown 44 times in the modern era, resulting in over 6 million deaths … just in that one city.   This trip is alerting me to how bloody and inhuman us humans can be.

Blog Observations: The Communist Era And It’s Aftermath

Religion, Culture, Politics & History

Going through all these countries and getting off the ship and going into town and talking with the local guides and the local people in the streets gives a perspective unavailable by just reading about it … or especially by just watching the soundbites on CNN.

Thousands of Icons and frescos adorn the interior of this church

The first thing I noticed was the difference between Turkey and Romania, right next door.   Turkey is 99% Muslim, whereas Romania is 85% Greek Orthodox.  The countries developed along with their religions and when politicians, dictators, kings and conquorers tried to take over a land and force a religion change … it never worked out very well.

Orthodox Church Exterior.

Forced conversions usually lead to heretical versions of the original … plus wars, persecution and human misery.

In Bulgaria, the Ottoman Turks took over and the country was Moslem for 500 years, but there was always a remnant of Orthodox Christians.  Rather than totally outlawing the religion, the Christians were taxed extra and forced into less desirable occupations.

The Circle of Life Fresco with the 12 Zodiac signs and the wide trail to Hell.

Also they were not allowed to build cathedrals or buildings that look like churches.   This rule applied to the outside of the buildings, but not the inside, So we went to a church that looked like a warehouse on the outside … but it had over 4000 icons and frescos on the inside.   You can “see” most of the Bible in the pictures.   These icons and frescos transmitted the faith from generation to generation through all the centuries when few people could read the written scriptures.   See photos.

In that church tour we were treated to an acapella choir who did Gregorian music.   And a “church lady” who explained many of the icons and frescos to us.   She was very good and with her explanation, you could see many of the familiar Bible stories.

The one thing that seemed to be missing,  was the New Testament doctrine of grace and forgiveness.   Perhaps it’s just a difficult concept to put into a painting.   Think about it,  How would you paint Grace without any words or captions?

But the church lady’s conclusion from the icons was that you need to work hard to be good and if you did, you would go to heaven and if not you would go straight to Hell …  (See the circle of life photo … which doesn’t leave room for the Biblical understanding of redemption and grace for all the prodigals who fall short of perfection … (like me.)

 

Danube Sailing after leaving Bulgaria, Serbia on one side and Romania on the other.

White Limestone cliffs along the Danube. The trees are all re-forestation and many are considered "invasive" ... being where they dont belong. The government is trying to plant back the original species ... but it is a huge project and not at the top of the list in these economic times.

June 8, 2012 …The Danube is a lot wider here than up closer to its headwaters like we’ve seen in Germany and Austria.   The captain says this is the Golden Depth … not too high, not too low.    So we make it under the bridges easily and dont hit the bottom.

Like a "Mile Marker" It's a Kilometer marker ... We are 966 km from where the Danube dumps into the Black Sea.

There are few bridges here … we go many miles between bridges … perhaps a measure of the relative prosperity … more in the West, less in the East… where Communism was.

Some facts from the Captain’s Nautical talk.

The ship is a little longer than a football field.

If built today, it would cost about $30 million Euros

The River Princess was born in 2001

Our Captain was born in 1967… Both in the Netherlands.

His mother and father were captains.   He grew up on a river ship.

He has been captaining the River Princess for seven years.

His work schedule is 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off.

He has a home in Germany and also Budapest, where his wife is from.

He is a “European” comfortable to live and work anywhere in Europe.When going through locks, the captain leaves his control room and moves to an auxiliary control station at the side where he can look over and see the inches of clearance.

River Princess has just been renovated….Uniworld renovates all their ships every 4 years.

2 1100 horsepower Duetz diesel engines … They consume about 105 gallons of diesel fuel per hour at full throttle.   Each powers a rotatable prop.   Those rotatable props steer the ship.   There are no rudders.   A joy stick controls the propellers … No conventional steering wheel.

The marker system on the rivers of Europe is opposite of the US: … “Red-Right-Returning,” which I learned in the US Navy.

 

Iron Gate Lock and Hydro project1964 – 1972   

We just went thru the first of the “Iron Gate” locks.   See photo.  These locks are a lot wider than the ones up river and in France.  These will take a lot wider ship or barges doubled up.

A Yugoslavian and Romanian project embarked on by their dictators at that time.  It created a reservoir that inundated towns and villages 100 kilometers up river.  25,000 people had to be re-located.    New towns are called New_______ … New Moldova etc.

This church on the (formerly) treacherous part of the Danube is home of the patron saint of sailors and fishermen.

A Cliff Rock Carving of King Decebalos, who defeated the Roman invaders and kept this area for the original Serbian tribes for 40 more years. Unfortunately for them, the Romans came back with superior forces and conquered this area and made the Danube the Northern boundary of the Roman Empire.

The Iron Gate project doubled each countries hydroelectric output.   Two thousand MegaWatts, with  6 hydro turbines for Yugoslavia (Now Serbia) & 6 hydro turbines for Romania.The project was one of the largest in the world.  The lock has two stages, each of which raise the boat about 45 feet.      That 90 feet of elevation takes out many dangerous rapids and sand bars.   What used to take 4 days with a lot of danger and lost cargo  & ships and lives … now is a gentle sail of only a few hours.

 

Istanbul to Vienna, Istanbul, Turkey

Day 1, Istanbul, Turkey

Getting to Istanbul was a study in airports, airlines and airplanes.  We love our Dulles airport.   But Frankfurt is a great airport also.   And in the European tradition, it is also a shopping mall,  more so than American airports.

This is what you hope to see when you emerge from Passport Control. We’ve always been met by courteous informative guides who get us to our ship or hotel. The short wait for the others to gather allows time to meet the shipmates for the week.

Finally the Istanbul airport was also very efficient … even at scalping the tourists for the “Visa” tax.   It was interesting which countries were required to purchase visas for $20 … all the Western Countries.   China and Russia were not.  Nor was Japan.  But India and South Africa were. ???   Oh well.

Istanbul was Constantinople until the 1400’s. Before that it was an important part of the Roman Empire. Here their engineering skills are seen in this aqueduct.

I wrote my first Feedback Letter to an Airline and an Airline pilot.  We were in business class, (which Luelle always tries to upgrade to with airline miles when we are going across oceans)  and the seats were in the worst repair we’ve ever seen.   We sat an extra 30 minutes, waiting for the captain to arrive?!?   Then I found my head phones in a sealed bag but in pieces.   I like MacGyver projects so, no problem…  Luelle’s didn’t work at all.   Nor did her light. Or her TV screen.  The light was stuck “on” like an interrogation light, the only one on in the cabin on this overnight flight.   As I gave my comments to our cabin hostess, her eyes lit up when I directed her to the part about the excellent meal and service from the cabin staff.   They were great.   This airline just has a serious problem in middle management.   They dont really get it about customer delight, and  the little things can send customers searching for alternatives.   As a clue, this is the largest airline in the world … Maybe too large to care about customers?

Wow! These Turks really know how to barbecue. And then serve it up and keep it hot. Actually this is just about the same as Armenian cuisine, which we are very familiar with. Armenia is Turkey’s next door neighbor.

We bussed from the airport to our downtown hotel, right in the middle of the “Old City” just a few blocks from the famous bazaar.  (pics tomorrow)   Along the way we saw Roman aqueducts and Moslem mosques … although we were told that Turkey is a secular state.

Of course you know that my main job (Dave’s) is protecting Luelle from pirates.    But if I happen to see things of interest to Home Performance and Building Science I feel obligated to snap a photo or two.   How many Mini-Splits do you see in this one?

Mini Split Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps is how the whole rest of the world beside the US, heats and cools

Tomorrow we’ll tour Istanbul and sail on the Bosphorus.   Stay tuned.

 

Day 2, Istanbul, Turkey

Today we wore ourselves out … so I’m just putting up some photos.   We went to several mosques and museums. Then sailed on the Bosphorus.  And then went out to dinner and a show, getting back around midnight.   Too much.   We have a lighter itinerary tomorrow, so I’ll catch up.

Belly Dancing was originally for the Sultans. Now for tourists too.

Day 3, Istanbul, Turkey

A new and an old obelisk at the Hippodrome.

Today we saw the Hippodrome and the inside of a couple of mosques.    The Hippodrome features relics from Greek and Roman times.

The Blue Mosque is a large practicing mosque which was built in the 17th century.   There are similarities and differences between the large Christian cathedrals and the large Moslem mosques.

Women worship separately from men.

The stone construction is similar … and they both ask for donations to keep them maintained.

The one big difference is the lack of pews and seating in the mosques.   In the mosque worship service you are either standing or kneeling … no time for sitting so no need for seating.

Ceramic tiles and stained glass give the name “Blue Mosque”

BTW the Blue Mosque is called Blue because of the beautiful blue ceramic coverings inside the building.

 

St Sofia is an even older and larger mosque only a few hundred yards away.   It was built in the 5th century as a Greek Orthodox Church and remained the largest temple in the world for over a thousand years.    It was hastily converted to a mosque with the arrival of the Ottomans who added minarets to the structure and plastered over the Christian mosaics.   (a few of which have been uncovered and are now on display)

Justinian and Constantine are offering gifts to Mary and Jesus in this mosaic from the time when the mosque was a Greek Orthodox Church.

With the inception of the Republic of Turkey, which is the only secular Moslem nation,  (meaning separation of church and state)  St Sofia and some other landmarks were turned into public museums.

 

Our guide informed us that while 99% of the population of 75 million list themselves as Muslim, only about 7% are “devout” which means they do prayers toward Mecca 5 times a day.

St Sofia with the added on minarets

Also interesting is that with the beginning of the Republic in 1923, the official language and the school language was changed and unified to Turkish from Arabic and many other dialects.    The prayers, however, are still done in Arabic,  kind of like the Catholic church did for many years with Latin … when no one knew Latin anymore.

Driving under a real Roman Aqueduct from the 5th century. I dont think our current canals and dams will last that long! Do you?

Our guide says that he and his friends dont know what they are praying anymore as only a few older people know Arabic anymore.   Interesting.

 

 

BTW There are 57 more photos of this part of the trip in Albums.  Go to the pull down menu “Photo Albums” and select the Istanbul to Vienna album.    The same photos are on the Facebook Page.   Email me if you are having trouble viewing or have suggestions on improving Luelle’s site.     …  Dave     Dave@GreenEarthEquities.com

 

Day 4, Bucharest, Romania

Istanbul is on the Black Sea, but a long way from where the Danube River empties.   So we got on a plane and flew to Bucharest, the capital of Romania.    After touring Bucharest it was a short bus drive to actually begin our cruise on the Danube River on the River Princess.

The cabins on the River Princess have all been completely renovated and will be a comfortable home for the next ten days.

This Uniworld ship has been freshly renovated … Uniworld does that every 4 years … so the interior is all brand new.

 

The drive from the airport to Bucharest and then to the River was interesting … mainly because our guide was an older gentleman who had lived through the communist times and was very eloquent at sharing about life under communism, the revolution, joining the EU and life today in Romania.   We learned that Romania had been the bread basket of Europe before the communist 45 year experience.

The Rumanian Parliament, still the second largest building in the world.

The communism in each of these satellite countries was flavored by their respective leaders.   In Rumania it was Nicolae Ceausescu.  It seems that he became more and more disconnected from reality as his reign went on.    Two of his actions were concluding that Rumania needed more workers so he tried to force women to have more babies.   This led to orphanage overload.   Now I know why so many were involved in adopting Rumanian children.

As the economy dwindled and people were starving,  Ceausescu ordered the construction of the largest building in the world for his parliament.    The parliament is there, but it is still half empty.

A sculpture making a satirical comment about about Ceausescu and Communism.

His people finally got tired of starving and being lied to, and overthrew him in December of 1989.   They captured him and after a hurried trial executed him by firing squad.

 

Along The Danube, Duernstein, Melk, Linz, Salzburg …..

Various Notes:

Sacher Torte

A chocolate cake invented by Franz Sacher for Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, a famous Austrian policitian in Vienna, Austria.  In 1887, 200-400 were baked a day at Hotel Sacher for Berlin, Paris and London.  These days, 12 Pastry Chefs make 500-600 per day and as many as 3000 around Christmas.

The Torte consists of two layers of dense, not overly sweet chocolate dough with a thin layer of apricot jam in the middle and dark chocolate icing on the sides and top.  It is traditionally eaten with whipped cream, as most Viennese consider the torte too dry to be eaten without.  The trademark for Original Sacher Torte was registered by Hotel Sacher, built in 1876 by the son on Franz Sacher.  The recipe is a well-kept secret (reputedly four different chocolates).

Until 1965 there was a long legal battle with pastry shop Demel who also produced Original Sacher Torte.  There are a number of tales as to how Demel got the recipe, spying cooks, etc.  Now Demel Sacher Torte also has jam under the chocolate icing.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS (Kunsthistorisches Museum)

The Museum of Fine Arts was built in 1891 near the Imperial Palace to house the extensive collections of the imperial family.  With its vast array of eminent works and the largest Bruegel collection in the world, it is considered one of the most eminent museums in the world.  Numerous major art works of European art history, among them Raphael’s “Madonna in the Meadow,” Vermeer’s “The Allegory of Painting” the infants painting by Velazquez, masterworks by Rubens, Rembrandt, Durer, Titian and Tintoretto are housed in the paintings gallery.

JEWISH MUSEUM

The historial exhibition of the Museum takes an unusual approach.  The complex history of Jewish Vienna is recounted not through physical objects in showcases but by means of 21 holograms that visualize its crucial phases: from the medieval community to the first expulsion, from the ghetto to the integration into bourgeois society, from the Shoah to the present time.  21 glass plates reproduce excavated relics and models of synagogues, ritual objects and everyday items, clothes and furniture, pictures and films, busts, the Giant Wheel and many other things in an intangible three-dimensional form.

SPECIALTIES OF THE WACHAU VALEY:  WINE AND APRICOTS

The Wachau Valley is indeed winemaking country par excellence.  The region blooms during the apricot season in the Springtime and this is a wonderful time to visit.  But anytims is the perfect time to savor the wonderful wines from this most delightful regions.  As one of the most treasured of Austrias winegrowing areas, the Wachau produces some of the best white wines in Austria, including world-class Rieslings and some of the best Gruner Veltliners you will ever taste.  Not only are the wines sublime, but the countryside is beautiful with apricot orchards and steep terraced vineyards on both sides of the river melting harmoniously into medieval villages, with the Danube itself providing a majestic backdrop to the beauty of the region.

KREMS

Krems is a small town of approximately 25,000 residents and is said to be the end of the Wachau Valley.  `(to be cont’d)

 

A Day In Vienna

A Day In Vienna

Vienna  is a very old city.  It was a Roman outpost about 2000 years ago and the fortifications of that military fort remained in use until just a ‘‘few” years ago.   In 1857 the Roman walls began to be torn down and the city’s most prestigeous address, the “Ring Road” was built in its place.   It was a 50 year construction project to replace the Roman walls with the Ring Road and the mini-palaces of Vienna’s wealthy.  Many of these 5 story homes are embassies today.   The National Opera House was the first public building completed on the Ring Road and is still one of the largest Opera Houses in the world.   The area inside the ring is the first district of 23 districts.   We learned that the further outside the ring you are … the more apartment you can afford.   Of the two million people in Vienna,  500,000 live in Super Blocks consisting of hundreds of apartment units, mostly built in the Soviet era.   Those earning less than 40,000 Euros can qualify for one of these….

Our tour of Vienna was half on the bus, with our guide, who was a history teacher, providing dialogue like the above … and half free time, walking around in the downtown area.   It was so cold that many joined me in a warmer experience, the Viennese Coffee House.   They really do make coffee two dozen ways and charge plenty for it.   My “Mozart Coffee”  which was coffee with some chocolate was 7 Euros.   They had newspapers on sticks and people doing business and writing … some with modern gear, but some with old style notebooks.    Maybe I watched a famous novel being born?    At another coffee house nearby, it was said that three young nobodies met for coffee,  Hitler, Stalin, & Tito.   They must have put some bad stuff in that coffee?

An interesting comparison that our guide made is that between Austria and Germany.   They both speak German, but Germany looks West to power, while Austria looks East, to Russia to power.   This may be because Russia helped liberate Austria from Germany … and also that Russia can turn off the gas, both natural and petrol.

Another comparison was between Vienna and the Hungarian capital of Budapest.   Vienna is prosperous with unemployment at less than 4%, plenty of money for public works and renovations, while Budapest is out of money, in disrepair, and even turning off some of the street lights.   Part of this is because Austria is now a “neutral” nation … it does not participate in NATO etc.   So there is more money for social programs and infrastructure.   Education is free all the way through University and Unemployment payments of $700 Euros is among the highest in Europe.  Germany is $400E, for example.   The free tuition leads to a large student population … over 100,000 in 15 universities in the city.   Where all the graduates will find jobs … that’s the same question that many of their American counterparts are asking in these turbulent times when the rules seem to have changed.

Another point of interest is that Austria’s neutrality since the end of WWII does not deter it from pursuing its long history of weapons manufacturing.    Being neutral allows Austria to sell to all buyers.   Your local police officer probably carries an Austrian Glock automatic and many countries buy weapons, large and small from Austria.

Here are the rest of the photos from this trip.   Click on any thumbnail to enlarge it … then use arrows or arrow keys … or you can view them all as a slideshow.     Let me know if you have trouble viewing …  Dave Robinson      

Budapest, Hungary to Vilshofen, Germany … Up The Creek … What Do You Do When The River Is Too Low?

It was a nice flight to Frankfurt, and then in to Budapest.    AMA’s gracious staff met us with the bad? news … The Danube was too low and getting lower and the ship had to leave Budapest to get out before it was stranded.    We had the opposite circumstance last time we were here … it was June … when the ship had to leave because the water was too high and the ships couldn’t get under the bridge.

The Hungarian Legislature ... Across the Danube, from our hotel room.

What’s a traveler to do?   Well AMA didn’t flinch … they checked us in to the Sofitel hotel right across the river from the Hungarian legislature … you know, the photo that is most connected with Hungary … it’s right outside our hotel window!

After a nap to wipe out the overnight flight and the jet lag, we had an excellent dinner and our host introduced Rudy, the president of AMA, who reminded us that this is a “Wine Cruise” and we will be touring vineyards and sampling some of the best wines on the planet.    Rudy then introduced two wine specialists who will be lecturing, guiding and tasting along our way.  One of the topics is a face-off between Austrian and German wines.   Of course the comparison to Napa wines is always in the background.     It’s nice to have a mission and a focus!

Hungarian Folk Serenade

The company was delightful, the Hungarian folk music was romantic and some of our table mates really knew a lot about wine!   The Christmas Markets were closing down as we got there … but Luelle assures me, we’ll have time to check them out tomorrow after the city tour and before we head for Vienna to catch our ship.  We’ll see.

So what to do when the river is too low?   So far, the AMA staff has done a great job of making lemonade from the lemons caused by the previous 6 weeks of no rain.    Stay tuned.

Here are the rest of the photos of Budapest from this trip.   Click on any thumbnail to enlarge it … then use arrows or arrow keys … or you can view them all as a slideshow.     Let me know if you have trouble viewing …  Dave Robinson      

Christmas Photos, Vienna

We had very intermittent Internet service on the ship, so we missed out on the daily blogging.    We finally solved the problem of weak internet access on board.  I’ll share the details in another post.   The solutions are different in each country you pass thru.       Here are some photos in 3 posts,  1. Vienna,  2. Along The Danube River,   3. Prague.

The horses seemed happy enough in downtown Vienna

St Stephen's Cathedral is Vienna's most famous of it's hundreds of churches. It is always covered by scaffolding doing repairs and cleaning. The drapes are screen printed to look like the cathedral that they are protecting. Ingenious...

A trip to Vienna wouldn't be complete without a concert. This was performed without a conductor ... (we learned that Johann Strauss usually did it that way) The conducting is done by the first chair violin. The music was great, the seats could have used some more ergonomic design!

The Romans had indoor plumbing! This Roman house with its own aquaduct was discovered during excavation. Rather than destroy it for "progress," it was preserved and displayed in the middle of a street.

The Austrian State Library in Vienna. Over half a million volumes and none of them less than a hundred years old.

Christmas Photos, Along The Danube River

The Danube River between Vienna and Prague includes some of it’s prettiest scenery.   Wineries in the Wachau Valley and lots of forest with only farm houses for many miles….   Cruising the river was Daves favorite part of the trip.    During the day, the lounges are quiet so a good book can combine with a latte and some wonderful scenery = some good relaxation.

Duernstien, in the Wachau Valley was perhaps the prettiest little village that we encountered. The church on the river bank is dedicated to praying for the fishermen and river merchants. Being in a poorer region than some of the larger Cathedrals, its interior statuary and carvings are done in wood, rather than granite and marble, giving a warmer, more comfortable feel. Definitely worth a visit, but the interior is only open in the warmer season. The castle on the hill in the background is where King Richard the Lion Hearted was detained for a year while his family gathered the ransom. Richard was returning from Crusading and had done a royal faux pax, placed the English flag above the Austrian flag ... and paid for it with a year in Solitary, and a lot of gold!

The terraced slopes along this 20 mile stretch of the Danube produce some world famous wines. The growers all participate in the Domaine Wachau cooperative. Each plot of vines, some as small as an acre, are processed individually and each has its own label. (See previous blog post from last summer) It is said that a skilled taster can tell which side of the river and how far upstream a particular wine came from ...... ?

Melk was our next stop. The Abbey specialized in training its monks in both Theology and Winemaking. Here we found a nice little internet cafe as well. We find that we are kind of "internet spoiled" and get fidgety when we cant get online.

It's really cold out there! Gotta get ready!

Merry Christmas!

Normal View from our room.

But sometimes it looked like this. Going thru the locks was always fun and gave a little variety as the sights and sounds changed.

There was a lot of birdlife visible, with most mammals staying inside like us. But this fox was enjoying the snow as he seemed to be racing our boat.

This little town was an unscheduled stop, as our Captain was moving the boat around, waiting to get under bridges and pick up the passengers who were on the day trip. It was unprepared for tourists and had more of a "real" feel to it. It is also where Dave found a TMobile store and with the internet card he bought, I was able to take care of my clients after this. And several purchased River Cruises! A travel agent must stay in touch with her clients!

Dress Warm!

The Nurenberg Christmas Market is rated #1 in the world so if you come on this cruise, this is the one that you need to see!

Ornaments etc. Our Cruise Director referred to them (affectionately?) as "Dust Collectors"

Christmas Carols on the steps of the Cathedral in Nurenberg's central square.

Gigantic Nazi Parade Grounds. Nuremberg was selected by Hitler as his headquarters. So it was the logical place to try his leaders for war crimes.

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